Facts

So the finished design sports a fairy theme. And it can be yours for the right price, along with a panoply of other designer bowls from the famous to nearly famous, folks like restaurateur and TV personality Paula Deen, tennis great Chris Evert and Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.

In all, nearly 60 bowls — signed and painted by the artists themselves — will be sold during a Feb. 1 dinner and auction to benefit Agape Food Bank.

Catered by Terrie Lobb of Bartow, the chicken-or-beef affair begins at 6 p.m. at Lakeland's Magnolia Building on Lake Mirror.

Tickets are $75 and available in advance at www.cflcc.org/emptybowls.

Olivo jumped at the chance to take part in this first-ever "Empty Bowls" event, and even solicited his daughter, the stage and television actress Karen Olivo, to take the plunge.

"It's a good idea, a good cause," the elder Olivo said, referring to Agape, a project of Catholic Charities. The food bank provides fresh produce, meats, canned goods and other staples at a discount to local nonprofits that feed the needy.

Catholic Charities enlisted the help of PicassoZ Art Cafe in Lakeland to send unfinished ceramic bowls, paints and brushes to celebrities like Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, a Lakeland native, who agreed in advance to participate.

A few, like Olivo and James Denmark, a folk artist and Winter Haven native whose works adorn some of the nation's most prestigious museums, preferred to design a bowl from scratch.

"I couldn't make it from a copy, it had to be done by me," Olivo said.

And the fairy theme?

"I was a military boxer and here I am in my old age, I love fairies, what can I say? That's who I am. It kind of softens me, and if you knew me you'd know I need a lot of softening."

Among the luminaries whose works will be sold at auction are actor Larry Thomas, who played the "Soup Nazi" character on television's "Seinfeld," Los Angeles Angels' first baseman Albert Pujols, and the Food Network's Deen.

"She (Deen) wrote, ‘Love and best dishes, y'all'?" said Mike Gordon, a spokesman for Catholic Charities of Central Florida. "It's painted in green with apples."

The bowls are meant to evoke Agape's mission of helping feed the poor and homeless.

Each bowl is one-of-a-kind, said Gordon, who hopes to raise as much as $20,000.

"It's a unique fundraiser," he said.

"It's the first year, and there was a learning process. We'll tweak it in future years, but a lot of people said it was a lot of fun," Gordon said.

For more information about the Empty Bowls dinner and auction, call 863-665-7074, Ext. 3217, or email Michael.Gordon@cflcc.org.

[ Eric Pera can be reached at eric.pera@theledger.com or 863-802-7528. ]

<p>LAKELAND | When local artist Rick Olivo set about to design a ceramic bowl for charity, his muse fancied something ethereal rather than macho.</p><p>So the finished design sports a fairy theme. And it can be yours for the right price, along with a panoply of other designer bowls from the famous to nearly famous, folks like restaurateur and TV personality Paula Deen, tennis great Chris Evert and Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.</p><p>In all, nearly 60 bowls — signed and painted by the artists themselves — will be sold during a Feb. 1 dinner and auction to benefit Agape Food Bank.</p><p>Catered by Terrie Lobb of Bartow, the chicken-or-beef affair begins at 6 p.m. at Lakeland's Magnolia Building on Lake Mirror.</p><p>Tickets are $75 and available in advance at www.cflcc.org/emptybowls.</p><p>Olivo jumped at the chance to take part in this first-ever "Empty Bowls" event, and even solicited his daughter, the stage and television actress Karen Olivo, to take the plunge.</p><p>"It's a good idea, a good cause," the elder Olivo said, referring to Agape, a project of Catholic Charities. The food bank provides fresh produce, meats, canned goods and other staples at a discount to local nonprofits that feed the needy.</p><p>Catholic Charities enlisted the help of PicassoZ Art Cafe in Lakeland to send unfinished ceramic bowls, paints and brushes to celebrities like Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, a Lakeland native, who agreed in advance to participate.</p><p>A few, like Olivo and James Denmark, a folk artist and Winter Haven native whose works adorn some of the nation's most prestigious museums, preferred to design a bowl from scratch.</p><p>"I couldn't make it from a copy, it had to be done by me," Olivo said.</p><p>And the fairy theme?</p><p>"I was a military boxer and here I am in my old age, I love fairies, what can I say? That's who I am. It kind of softens me, and if you knew me you'd know I need a lot of softening."</p><p>Among the luminaries whose works will be sold at auction are actor Larry Thomas, who played the "Soup Nazi" character on television's "Seinfeld," Los Angeles Angels' first baseman Albert Pujols, and the Food Network's Deen.</p><p>"She (Deen) wrote, 'Love and best dishes, y'all'?" said Mike Gordon, a spokesman for Catholic Charities of Central Florida. "It's painted in green with apples."</p><p>The bowls are meant to evoke Agape's mission of helping feed the poor and homeless.</p><p>Each bowl is one-of-a-kind, said Gordon, who hopes to raise as much as $20,000.</p><p>"It's a unique fundraiser," he said.</p><p>"It's the first year, and there was a learning process. We'll tweak it in future years, but a lot of people said it was a lot of fun," Gordon said.</p><p>For more information about the Empty Bowls dinner and auction, call 863-665-7074, Ext. 3217, or email Michael.Gordon@cflcc.org.</p><p> </p><p>[ Eric Pera can be reached at eric.pera@theledger.com or 863-802-7528. ]</p>